Learning how to love and be loved is like archery lessons that teach us how to cast out fear: aim for the bulls-eye, where the love of God rests and there is peace. Hopefully we are all learning how to become better versions of ourselves, holding one accountable with a mercy and a heart full of hope and faith that the grace of God carries us forward closer to Him when we seek His face.

So while I understand people are not receptive to religious dogma, and I am not a theologian, the freedom to worship, or not worship God is central to this civil liberty of our free society. It is freedom of religion, not freedom from religion that makes individual liberty possible. (See Dale Carnegie’s book, How to Stop Worrying and Start Living, 1944). God does not make us worship him. It is a choice granted by Him. This free will also gives us and our children the realization that we can think for ourselves and improve our own lots (one family, neighborhood, and community at a time) because God’s grace is endless and His mercy is abundant for those who fix their minds on even just one mustard seed of faith.

Whatever your religious beliefs, every parent must decide if they are confident that their child can learn how to think for himself/herself in a hyper-connected world that can convince us of things that are not true.

I have come to truly appreciate the trust God has placed in humanity, that he would grant us the capacity to procreate – to bear children and be responsible for their upbringing and care. Through my motherhood journey, I …

Let this declaration of my choice to believe and walk according to the Word of God resonate in every nook and cranny of my heart and mind, body and soul; in my house, and in every family relationship so that the enemy realizes that I know and You, Jesus, witness that I know, that he who is in the world has no power of what You God have already given me before I was born …

My faith informs me that to become holy is to care about what God cares about first and foremost and then to not allow the priorities of the world influence my desires because then I can easily deceive myself that what I want is what God wants. God wants every human being to be a part of His Holy Family, which is the Kingdom of heaven forged by a spirit of adoption through faith. In …

So by my faith I know that the purpose and power of women in marriages, families and communities, as mothers, daughters, sisters and wives, is to pray for our men so as to fully communicate the love of God expressed in Romans 8:38-39, and by faith equip their hearts and minds with abundant grace, as fathers, husbands, sons and brothers. This can only be accomplished when I ask for divine guidance in responding to the …

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The objective of Banana Moments (click here to receive updates) is to help parents rise above the noise and the fray of the daily, weekly, monthly press of information and life’s stresses of family business. Banana Moments offers insights and inspiration to reinforce your own family values and help you lead children in this network culture that pressures all of us with things that don’t really matter and are largely not true.

About Joanna Jullien

Joanna (jullien@surewest.net) and her husband have raised two sons in Roseville, CA. She has a degree from U.C. Berkeley in Social Anthropology (corporate culture). Her honors thesis was awarded the Kroeber Prize and funding from National Science Foundation grant. Joanna writes to help parents with the modern-day leadership challenges of raising children. She is a contributing writer for The Granite Bay View, the Press Tribune, the Sacramento Examiner, and editor of Banana Moments.